DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - JULY 18: Paul Scholes of Manchester United during the MTN Football Invitational match between Amazulu and Manchester United, at Moses Mabhida Stadium on July 18, 2012 in Durban, South Africa (Photo by Peter Heeger/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Javier Hernandez had a penalty saved as Manchester United and Wigan fought to a stalemate in the first half at Old Trafford.
Manchester United and Wigan Athletic played out a goalless and scrappy half of football at Old Trafford, after Javier Hernandez missed an early penalty.
Danny Welbeck appeared to be brought down by Ali Al-Habsi early on, although replays show that contact, if there was any, was minimal at best. Nonetheless, it was a poor decision from the Omani goalkeeper to come so far from his goal, but he redeemed his error by saving Hernandez's weak spot-kick.
The rest of the half was scrappy, with both sides struggling to get any flow in a game frequently disrupted by fouls and free-kicks. The lively Welbeck came the closest to opening the scoring with a pair of efforts: the England international swept one half-volley from a Nani cross just wide of Ali Al-Habsi's post midway through the half, and shortly afterwards directed a header inches over the bar.
United have enjoyed plenty of possession but have struggled to put together any good passages of play outside the Wigan area, and could resort to bringing on Robin Van Persie, Shinji Kagawa, or Antonio Valencia in a bid to break the deadlock. Wigan, meanwhile, have not seen enough of the ball to present a real danger, although Arouna Kone and Franco Di Santo have offered glimpses of a threat on the counter-attack.
There are 0 Comments. Add Yours.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.